IOSR-JHSS   Volume-3 ~ Issue-5 ~ Nov-Dec-2012

Paper Type	:	Research Paper
Title	:	The aesthetics of invective: reflections on the use of verbal violence in the Suns of Independence of Ahmadou Kourouma
Country	:	Ghana
Authors	:	Mawuloe Koffi Kodah
	:	10.9790/0837-0350108

Abstract:In recent times, one major threat to peace and sustainable democratic governance in Ghana is the upsurge of the use of invective language in public discourse. Ahmadou Kourouma's novel, The suns of independence, which can be classified as a socio-political satire, provides a textual data for a critical analysis of this phenomenon in its aesthetic form. Considering literary products (poetry, drama and prose) as clear manifestations of social discourse, that is communication, this study seeks to examine the use and aesthetic significance of verbal violence in this novel initially published in French as "Les soleils des indépendances" in 1968. In its quest, the study, in the first place, identifies and analyses three forms of invectives considered as verbal violence in use in the novel. In the second place, it examines the causes of their use and their aesthetic or stylistic significance to socio-political discourse in the text, leading to the formulation of critical reflections on the phenomenon as a potential source of socio-political conflict and social disintegration. The study also points out how the intransigent use of vituperation resulting from egocentric pursuits eventually leads to self destruction. In this regard, The suns of independence provides both historical and contemporary textual material for reflections on the realities of the use of invectives and its aesthetic significance in socio-political discourse in fiction. Combining a range of theoretical frameworks in stylistics and pragmatics in the study of discourse, this paper examines both the methods of textual composition and the strategies of interpretation for invectives in the novel.
Keywords:aesthetics – invective – descriptive invective – attributive invective – discourse – egocentrism – pragmatics – stylistics – symbolic invective

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Abstract:During the closing of eighteenth and the opening years of nineteenth centuries a revolution in educational theory was taking place. Instead of mechanical method of education emphasis was laid on natural method of education. The educationists of the time aimed to bring out natural responses of the child. Rousseau was one of the fore-runners of "natural education." He suggested that the child should be raised in the country away from the complexity of civilization and to learn, not through the use of books, but by experience. To him, children should not be confined inside closed places and memorize abstract information; instead they should be set free to experience things themselves and learn accordingly. These ideas of Rousseau correspond with Wordsworth's child rearing. He thought that nature helps in the development of inherent capacities of a child.

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Abstract:Feminism is a socio- political movement which advocates involved active participation by women to demand for their rights. It can be considered a movement which is fought against female oppression under patriarchy. There are various ways by which a woman can be victimized or we can say that victimization of woman can take place through various ways like caste, colour, race, attitude towards motherhood, etc. The Feminist movement was actually started by white women who basically hailed from middle class in Western Europe and North America. This trend accelerated in1960‟s with Cool right Movement and the collapse of European Colonialism in Africa, Caribbean parts of Latin America and South Asia. Third Wave feminists advocate for equal rights for the girls and taking charge of their own sexual fulfillment. In her essay, Lusting for Freedom, Rebecca Walker discusses the need for sex education for young women. It recognizes that sexual pleasure is a central part of women‟s lives and does not discourage women who know how to achieve it without any sense of guilt or regret. The new generation of feminism embraces beauty and power of women‟s sexuality to achieve their needs. They consider sexual pleasure a human right. Many writers in India have talked of pleasure and its manifestations.

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Abstract:It is almost three years ago that a group of Northern Nigerian militants that transformed from political brigandage declared a war on the country in the name of islamic jihad. This has claimed thousands of lives and millions naira worth of properties. However, a critical analysis of the mission of the group pointed to the theory of poverty and political alienation. This paper therefore examined the violent rampageous Boko Haram in Northern Nigeria from the perspectives of the current agitation for political power-shift and severe poverty in Northern Nigeria. The research tool for the study was an indepth desk survey of media reports and literature data. The paper therefore recommended a total federal restructuring and massive poverty alleviation programmes to curb Boko Haram violence and other ethno-religious crises in Nigeria.

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